Cord-reel apparatus and vacuum cleaner having the same

ABSTRACT

A cord reel apparatus for a vacuum cleaner is provided. The cord reel apparatus includes a cord reel, a regulation lever, and a release level. The cord reel is rotatably disposed in the vacuum cleaner and is elastically biased to retract a power cord. The regulation lever is in the cleaner body to pivot between a first position to restrict a rotational movement of the cord reel and a second position to release the restriction. The release lever is in the cleaner body to pivot the regulation lever to the second position and includes a button. The button includes a first push portion and a second push portion. The first push portion can be pushed in a vertical direction when the cleaner body on its rear portion. The second push portion can be pushed in a vertical direction when the cleaner body stands upright.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No.10-2007-125729, filed on Dec. 5, 2007, in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporatedby reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

Methods and apparatuses consistent with the present disclosure relate toa vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a vacuum cleaner having acord reel apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, a vacuum cleaner performs a cleaning operation with respectto a cleaning surface by drawing in dirt-entrained air from the cleaningsurface, separating dirt from the air, and then discharging cleaned airto the outside. Such a vacuum cleaner has an extension pipe pivotablyconnected to a suction port assembly and also connected to a cleanerbody via a handle member and a flexible hose in sequence. Accordingly,the suction port assembly draws in dirt-entrained air in contact withthe cleaning surface, and the air drawn in through the suction portassembly flows into the cleaner body through the extension pipe, thehandle member, and the flexible hose. The dirt is separate from the airby a dust collector disposed in the cleaner body and then cleaned air isdischarged to the outside.

As one of such conventional vacuum cleaners, Japanese Patent Laid-openNo. 2005-0095275 discloses a vacuum cleaner that is convertible betweenan upright type vacuum cleaner and a canister type vacuum cleaner. Inorder to use the vacuum cleaner as an upright type vacuum cleaner, thecleaner body is mounted on the extension pipe in an upright position andis located on an upper portion of the suction port assembly, and, inorder to use the vacuum cleaner as a canister type vacuum cleaner, thecleaner body is dismounted from the extension pipe and is laid on itsrear portion on a cleaning surface.

A cord reel apparatus is provided in the vacuum cleaner to allow a powercord to be retracted or released. More specifically, the power cord iswound along a cord reel and is retracted into the cleaner body bypushing a top of a button in a vertical direction with respect to acleaning surface.

If such a cord reel apparatus is applied to the vacuum cleaner thatconverts between an upright and a canister type vacuum cleaners, thereis no problem in pressing the button in a vertical direction withrespect to a cleaning surface in the canister type cleaning mode.However, as the cleaner body stands upright with respect to a cleaningsurface in the upright type mode, the user should push the top of thebutton in a parallel direction with respect to the cleaning surface inorder to retract the power supply cord. To this end, there is a problemin that the cleaner body is pushed backward and thus the user isrequired to support a rear portion of the cleaner body with his/herother hand to prevent the cleaner body from being pushed backward.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure overcome the abovedisadvantages and other disadvantages not described above. Also, thepresent disclosure is not required to overcome the disadvantagesdescribed above, and an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosuremay not overcome any of the problems described above.

An aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a cord reel apparatusthat has an operating button that can be pushed in a vertical directionwith respect to a cleaning surface regardless of a position of a vacuumcleaner, thereby improving a user's convenience, and a vacuum cleanerhaving the same.

The foregoing and/or other aspects and utilities of the presentdisclosure may be achieved by a cord reel apparatus, including a cordreel that is rotatably disposed in a cleaner body of a vacuum cleanerand is elastically biased in a direction for retract rotation of a powercord, a regulation lever that is disposed in the cleaner body to bepivotable between a first position to restrict a rotational movement ofthe cord reel and a second position to release the restriction, and arelease lever that is pivotably disposed in the cleaner body to pivotthe regulation lever to the second position and includes a button, thebutton including a first push portion that is formed on an endprotruding out of the cleaner body and is able to be pushed in avertical direction with respect to a cleaning surface if the cleanerbody is laid on its rear portion on the cleaning surface, and a secondpush portion that is able to be pushed in a vertical direction withrespect to a cleaning surface if the cleaner body stands upright.

The release lever may include a first brake lever that extends from thebutton and is pivotably disposed in the cleaner body, and the regulationlever may include a second brake lever that is pivotably disposed in thecleaner body and is pivoted in association with the pivotal movement ofthe first brake lever.

The regulation lever may further include a rotary roller that isdisposed at one end of the second brake lever, and a brake block thatprevents the rotary roller from being rotated if the rotary roller isbrought into press-contact with the cord reel.

The regulation lever may further include an elastic member that isdisposed between the second brake lever and the cleaner body to pressthe second brake lever to pivot in a direction in which the rotaryroller is brought into press-contact with the cord reel.

The button may be disposed in a button mounting recess formed on thecleaner body and the button mounting recess may be larger than thebutton.

The first push portion may be arranged parallel to the cleaning surfacesuch that that it is pushed in a vertical direction with respect to acleaning surface if the cleaner body is laid on its rear portionparallel with the cleaning surface, and the second push portion may bearranged parallel to the cleaning surface such that it is pushed in avertical direction with respect to cleaning surface if the cleaner bodystands upright.

The cord reel apparatus may further include a roller member that isrotated in contact with the power cord if the power cord is retracted orreleased through a cord hole formed in the cleaner body.

The foregoing and/or other aspects and utilities of the presentdisclosure may be also achieved by a vacuum cleaner including a brushassembly that travels along a cleaning surface and draws indirt-entrained air from the cleaning surface, a cleaner body that isconnected to the brush assembly and includes a dust collector and apower cord, a support unit that detachably supports the cleaner bodywith respect to the brush assembly such that the cleaner body is mountedto the brush assembly in an upright type cleaning mode and the cleanerbody is dismounted from the brush assembly in a canister type cleaningmode, and a cord reel apparatus that is disposed in the cleaner body.The cord reel apparatus may include a cord reel that is rotatablydisposed in the cleaner body and is elastically biased in a directionfor retract rotation of the power cord, a regulation lever that isdisposed in the cleaner body to be pivotable between a first position torestrict a rotational movement of the cord reel and a second position torelease the restriction, and a release lever that is pivotably disposedin the cleaner body to pivot the regulation lever to the second positionand includes a button, the button including a first push portion that isformed on an end protruding out of the cleaner body and is able to bepushed in a vertical direction with respect to a cleaning surface in thecanister type cleaning mode and a second push portion that is able to bepushed in a vertical direction with respect to a cleaning surface in theupright type cleaning mode.

The release lever may include a first brake lever that extends from thebutton and is pivotably disposed in the cleaner body, and the regulationlever may include a second brake lever that is pivotably disposed in thecleaner body and is pivoted in association with the pivotal movement ofthe first brake lever.

The regulation lever may further include a rotary roller that isdisposed at one end of the second brake lever, and a brake block thatprevents the rotary roller from being rotated if the rotary roller isbrought into press-contact with the cord reel.

The regulation lever may further include an elastic member that isdisposed between the second brake lever and the cleaner body to pressthe second brake lever to pivot in a direction in that the rotary rolleris brought into press-contact with the cord reel.

The button may be disposed in a button mounting recess formed on thecleaner body and the button mounting recess may be larger than thebutton.

As described above, it is possible to retract the power cord simply bypushing the button of the cord reel apparatus in a vertical directionwith respect to a cleaning surface with user's one hand regardless ofwhether the cleaner body stands up or is laid on its rear portion on thecleaning surface. Accordingly, the user feels convenient when operatingthe cord reel apparatus and accordingly can use the vacuum cleaner moreconveniently.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Above and other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparentand more readily appreciated from the following description of theexemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompany drawingsof which:

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a vacuum cleaner when it is used as anupright type vacuum cleaner according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating the vacuum cleaner when it is used as acanister type vacuum cleaner according to the exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 3A is a view illustrating a cord reel apparatus of the vacuumcleaner that is laid on its rear portion on a cleaning surface in orderto be used as a canister type vacuum cleaner;

FIG. 3B is a view illustrating the cord reel apparatus of FIG. 3A with abutton pushed in a vertical direction with respect to a cleaningsurface;

FIG. 4A is a view illustrating the cord reel apparatus of the vacuumcleaner that stands upright in order to be used as an upright typevacuum cleaner;

FIG. 4B is a view illustrating the cord reel apparatus of FIG. 4A withthe button pushed in a vertical direction with respect to a cleaningsurface; and

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a cord hole area formed on the cleanerbody according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Certain exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the following description, the same drawing reference numerals areused for the same elements even in different drawings. The matterdefined in the description, such as detailed construction and elements,are provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of thedisclosure. Thus, it is apparent that the exemplary embodiments of thepresent disclosure can be carried out without this specifically definedmatter. Also, well-known functions or constructions are not described indetail since they would obscure the disclosure with unnecessary detail.

Hereinafter, a vacuum cleaner 100 having a cord reel apparatus 200according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will nowbe described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For reference,FIG. 1 is a view illustrating the vacuum cleaner 100 when it is used asan upright type vacuum cleaner, and FIG. 2 is a view illustrating thevacuum cleaner 100 when it is used as a canister type vacuum cleaner.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the vacuum cleaner 100 according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is convertible between anupright type vacuum cleaner and a canister type vacuum cleaner andincludes a cleaner body 10, a brush assembly 20, a flexible hose 30, anda handle member 40.

The cleaner body 10 includes therein a suction motor (not shown) togenerate a suction force to draw in dirt-entrained air from a cleaningsurface and a dust collector (not shown) to filter dirt from the airdrawn in from the cleaning surface.

The brush assembly 20 draws in the dirt-entrained air while travelingalong the cleaning surface and includes a suction port assembly 21 andan extension pipe 26.

The suction port assembly 21 is pivotably connected to the extensionpipe 26 and has a drum brush (not shown) disposed therein to brush thecleaning surface and also has a suction port (not shown) through thatthe dirt is drawn in from the cleaning surface.

The extension pipe 26 has one end connected to the suction port assembly21 and the other end connected to the handle member 40 such that the airdrawn in through the suction port assembly 21 flows into the cleanerbody 10 via the handle member 40 and the flexible hose 30. The extensionpipe 26 has a first mounting protrusion 28 (see FIG. 2) and a secondmounting protrusion 29 (see FIG. 2) formed at one side thereof, whichserve as a support unit to support the cleaner body 10 standing uprighton the top of the suction port assembly 21 when the vacuum cleaner 100is used as an upright type vacuum cleaner as shown in FIG. 1.Accordingly, in order to use the vacuum cleaner 100 as an upright typevacuum cleaner, the user mounts the cleaner body 10 to the extensionpipe 26 by means of the first and the second mounting protrusions 28 and29. In contrast and in order to use the vacuum cleaner 100 as a canistertype vacuum cleaner, the user dismounts the cleaner body 10 from thefirst and the second mounting protrusions 28 and 29 and lays the cleanerbody 10 on its rear portion 12 on a cleaning surface. Also, the lengthof the extension pipe 26 may be adjusted by a length adjusting unit 23formed on the extension pipe 26 if necessary.

The flexible hose 30 is interconnected between the handle member 40 andthe cleaner body 10 to allow the dirt-entrained air drawn in from thesuction port assembly 21 through the extension pipe and the handlemember 40 to flow into the cleaner body 10.

The vacuum cleaner 100 further includes the cord reel apparatus 200,which will now be described with reference to FIGS. 3A to 4B.

For reference, FIG. 3A is a view illustrating the cord reel apparatus200 when the vacuum cleaner 100 is laid on the rear portion 12 so thatthe rear portion is parallel to a cleaning surface to be used as acanister type vacuum cleaner, and FIG. 3B is a view illustrating thecord reel apparatus 200 of FIG. 3A with a button 220 pushed in avertical direction with respect to the cleaning surface. FIG. 4A is aview illustrating the cord reel apparatus 200 when the vacuum cleaner100 stands upright in order to be used as an upright type vacuumcleaner, and FIG. 4B is a view illustrating the cord reel apparatus 200of FIG. 4A with the button 220 pushed in a vertical direction withrespect to the cleaning surface.

The cord reel apparatus 200 allows a power cord 205 to be released fromor retracted in the cleaner body 10, and includes a cord reel 210, arelease lever 220, and a regulation lever 240 as shown in FIG. 3A to 4B.

The cord reel 210 is rotatably disposed in the cleaner body 10. Thepower cord 205 is wound along the cord reel 210, and the cord reel 210is urged to rotate in a direction P to retract the power cord 205 by arotational force generated by a spring (not shown). That is, the cordreel 210 is elastically biased with respect to the cleaner body 10 inthe retract direction P of the power cord 205.

The release lever 220 is pushed to pivot from a first position where theregulation lever 240 restricts the rotation of the cord reel 210 to asecond position where the regulation lever 240 releases the restriction.The release lever 220 includes a button 224 and a first brake lever 230.

The button 224 has a part received in a button mounting recess 15 formedon the cleaner body 10, and the button mounting recess 14 is formed tobe larger than the button 224 such that it guarantees a space where thebutton 220 can move up and down and also can be pivoted at aninclination angle.

The button 224 protrudes from the cleaner body 10 and includes a firstpush portion 221 that is formed on the top of the button 224 and asecond push portion 223 that is formed on a side surface of the firstpush portion 221. The first push portion 221 is used to push the button224 in a vertical direction with respect to a cleaning surface when thevacuum cleaner 100 is used as a canister type vacuum cleaner, as shownin FIG. 3A. Conversely, the second push portion 223 is to used to pushthe button 224 in a vertical direction with respect to a cleaningsurface when the vacuum cleaner 100 is used as an upright type vacuumcleaner, as shown in FIG. 4A. The first push portion 221 is arrangedparallel to the cleaning surface to be pushed in a vertical directionwith respect to a cleaning surface when the vacuum cleaner 10 is laid onthe rear portion 12 so that the rear portion is parallel with thecleaning surface. The second push portion 221 is arranged parallel tothe cleaning surface to be pushed in a vertical direction with respectto a cleaning surface when the vacuum cleaner 10 stands upright withrespect to the cleaning surface. A plurality of protrusions 221 a and223 a are formed on the first and the second push portions 221 and 223of the button 224 to increase a friction force between the button 224and the user's hand and thus to allow the user to easily push the button224.

The first brake lever 230 has one side connected to an end of the button224 as if it extends from the button 224, and is pivotable about a firsthinge shaft 232 with respect to the cleaner body 10. If the user pushesthe button 224 using either first or second push portions 221, 223, afree end 230 a of the first brake lever 230 pivots about the first hingeshaft 232 in association with the movement of the button 224.

The regulation lever 240 restricts or releases the cord reel 210 inassociation with the pivotal movement of the first brake member 230 andincludes a second brake lever 241, a rotary roller 250, a brake block260, and an elastic member 270.

The second brake lever 241 has one end connected to a second hinge shaft242 to pivot around the second hinge shaft 242 with respect to thecleaner body 10 and has the other end where the rotary roller 250 isdisposed. The second brake lever 241 is disposed in contact with thefree end 230 a of the first brake lever 230 such that the second brakelever 241 is pivoted in association with the pivotal movement of thefirst brake lever 230. Also, an extension piece 244 protrudes from thesecond brake lever 241 to a predetermined distance and a protrusion 246extends upwardly from the extension piece 244.

The elastic member 270 is disposed between the protrusion 246 and thecleaner body 10 to elastically bias the second brake lever 241 in adirection in which an end of the second brake lever 241 get closer tothe cord reel 210.

The rotary roller 250 is disposed on the other end of the second brakelever 241 and partially in press-contact with an outer surface of thecord reel 210. The rotary roller 250 has a cylindrical shape rotatableabout a rotary shaft 251 disposed in the the second brake lever 241 Thebrake block 260 gives a friction so as not to rotate the rotary roller250 if the rotary roller 250 is brought into press-contact with cordreel 210, and prevents the cord reel 210 from being rotated. The brakeblock 260 is shaped in a rib that protrudes from one side of the secondbrake lever 241, and a lower surface of the brake block 260 should beaway from an outer circumference of the rotary roller 250 by apredetermined distance. The brake block 260 is integrally formed withthe second brake lever 241 and may be formed by an injection moldingprocess.

The elastic member 270 is disposed between the second brake lever 241and the cleaner body 10 to generate an elastic force to pivot the secondbrake lever 241 in a direction in which the rotary roller 250 is broughtinto press-contact with the cord reel 210.

According to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, thecord reel apparatus 200 is designed such that the power cord 205 can beeasily retracted or released without being in direct contact with thecleaner body 10. Referring to FIGS. 3A and 5, the cleaner body 10 has acord hole 19 through which the power cord 205 is retracted, and anotherrotary roller 207 is provided in the cord hole 19. Accordingly, when theuser holds a plug 205 a and pulls out the power cord 205 or when thepower cord 205 is retracted by the cord reel apparatus 200, the powercord 205 does not contact the cleaner body 10 and instead contacts therotary roller 207 such that the rotation of the rotary roller 207enables the power cord 205 to be easily retracted or released.

Hereinafter, operation of the cord reel apparatus 200 according to theexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will now be describedwith reference to FIGS. 3A to 4B.

If the vacuum cleaner 100 is used as an upright type vacuum cleaner, thecleaner body 10 is mounted to the extension pipe 26 such that it standsupright with respect to a cleaning surface as shown in FIG. 1.Accordingly, the first push portion 221 of the button 224 turns to facethe front, while the second push portion 223 turns to face up, as shownin FIG. 4A.

In this state, the user holds the plug 205 a and pulls out the powercord 205 and then connects the plug 205 a to a power supply to performan upright type vacuum cleaning operation. After the cleaning, if theuser pushes the second push portion 223 of the button 224 in order toretract the power cord 205 in the cleaner body 10, the second pushportion 223 is downwardly inclined with respect to the cleaning surface.This is because the button mounting recess 15 is larger than the button224.

As the button 220 is pushed, the free end 230 a of the first brake lever230 is pivoted up about the first hinge shaft 232, and, in associationwith this pivotal movement of the first brake lever 230, the secondbrake lever 241 is pivoted about the second hinge shaft 242 in adirection in which the rotary roller 250 moves away from the cord reel210. If the rotary roller 250 moves away from the cord reel 210, thecord reel 210 is rotated by a spring (not shown) disposed in the cordreel 210, thereby winding the power cord 205 thereon as shown in FIG. 4Band the power cord 205 is completely retracted in the cleaner body 10.

On the other hand, if the vacuum cleaner is used as a canister typevacuum cleaner, the cleaner body 10 is dismounted from the extensionpipe 26 and is laid on the rear portion 12 parallel with a cleaningsurface as shown in FIG. 2. Accordingly, the first push portion 221turns to face up and the second push portion 223 turns to face the sideof the first push portion 221, as shown in FIG. 3A.

In this state, the user holds the plug 205 a and pulls out the powercord 205, and then connects the power cord 205 to a power supply inorder to perform a canister type vacuum cleaning operation. After thecleaning, if the user pushes the first push portion 221 of the button224 in a vertical direction with respect to a cleaning surface in orderto retract the power cord 205 in the cleaner body 10, the first pushportion 221 is downwardly inclined. This is because the button mountingrecess 15 is larger than the button 220.

As the button 224 is pushed, the free end 230 a of the first brake lever230 is pivoted up about the first hinge shaft 232, and, in associationwith the pivotal movement of the first brake lever 230, the second brakelever 241 is pivoted about the second hinge shaft 242 in a direction inwhich the rotary roller 250 moves away from the cord reel 210. If therotary roller 250 moves away from the cord reel 210, the cord reel 210is rotated by a spring (not shown) disposed in the cord reel 210 suchthat the power cord 205 is wound around the cord reel 210 as shown inFIG. 3B and thus is completely retracted in the cleaner body 10.

In a conventional method of operating the cord reel apparatus in anupright type vacuum cleaning mode, the user is required to support thecleaner body with his/her one hand while pushing the button of the cordreel apparatus with the other hand. However, according to the exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure, the user can retract the powercord 205 simply by pushing the button 224 in a vertical direction withrespect to a cleaning surface with his/her one hand in any mode of anupright type vacuum cleaning mode or a canister type vacuum cleaningmode, i.e., regardless of whether the cleaner body stands up or is laidon its rear portion 12 on the cleaning surface.

The foregoing exemplary embodiments and advantages are merely exemplaryand are not to be construed as limiting the present disclosure. Thepresent teaching can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses.Also, the description of the exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope ofthe claims, and many alternatives, modifications, and variations will beapparent to those skilled in the art.

1. A cord reel apparatus for use in a cleaner body of a vacuum cleaner,comprising: a cord reel that is rotatably disposable in the cleaner bodyand is elastically biased in a direction for retract rotation of a powercord; a regulation lever that is disposable in the cleaner body to bepivotable between a first position to restrict a rotational movement ofthe cord reel and a second position to release the restriction of therotational movement of the cord reel; and a release lever that ispivotably disposable in the cleaner body to pivot the regulation leverto the second position and comprises a button, the button comprising afirst push portion that is formed on an end for protrusion out of thecleaner body and is able to be pushed in a vertical direction withrespect to a cleaning surface if the cleaner body is laid on its rearportion on the cleaning surface, and a second push portion that is ableto be pushed in a vertical direction with respect to a cleaning surfaceif the cleaner body stands upright.
 2. The cord reel apparatus asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the release lever comprises a first brakelever that extends from the button and is pivotably disposable in thecleaner body, wherein the regulation lever comprises a second brakelever that is pivotably disposable in the cleaner body and is pivoted inassociation with the pivotal movement of the first brake lever.
 3. Thecord reel apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the regulation leverfurther comprises: a rotary roller that is disposed at one end of thesecond brake lever; and a brake block that prevents the rotary rollerfrom being rotated if the rotary roller is brought into press-contactwith the cord reel.
 4. The cord reel apparatus as claimed in claim 3,wherein the regulation lever further comprises an elastic member thatpresses the second brake lever to pivot in a direction in which therotary roller is brought into press-contact with the cord reel.
 5. Thecord reel apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the button isdisposable in a button mounting recess formed on the cleaner body, thebutton mounting recess being larger than the button.
 6. The cord reelapparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first push portion isarranged parallel to the cleaning surface such that that it is pushed ina vertical direction with respect to a cleaning surface if the cleanerbody is laid on its rear portion parallel with the cleaning surface,wherein the second push portion is arranged parallel to the cleaningsurface such that it is pushed in a vertical direction with respect tocleaning surface if the cleaner body stands upright.
 7. The cord reelapparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a roller member thatis rotated in contact with the power cord if the power cord is retractedor released through a cord hole formed in the cleaner body.
 8. A vacuumcleaner comprising: a brush assembly that travels along a cleaningsurface and draws in dirt-entrained air from the cleaning surface; acleaner body that is connected to the brush assembly and comprises adust collector and a power cord; a support unit that detachably supportsthe cleaner body with respect to the brush assembly such that thecleaner body is mounted to the brush assembly in an upright typecleaning mode and the cleaner body is dismounted from the brush assemblyin a canister type cleaning mode; and a cord reel apparatus that isdisposed in the cleaner body, wherein the cord reel apparatus comprises:a cord reel that is rotatably disposed in the cleaner body and iselastically biased in a direction for retract rotation of the powercord; a regulation lever that is disposed in the cleaner body to bepivotable between a first position to restrict a rotational movement ofthe cord reel and a second position to release the restriction of therotational movement of the cord reel; and a release lever that ispivotably disposed in the cleaner body to pivot the regulation lever tothe second position and comprises a button, the button comprising afirst push portion that is formed on an end protruding out of thecleaner body and is able to be pushed in a vertical direction withrespect to a cleaning surface in the canister type cleaning mode and asecond push portion that is able to be pushed in a vertical directionwith respect to a cleaning surface in the upright type cleaning mode. 9.The vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 8, wherein the release levercomprises a first brake lever that extends from the button and ispivotably disposed in the cleaner body, wherein the regulation levercomprises a second brake lever that is pivotably disposed in the cleanerbody and is pivoted in association with the pivotal movement of thefirst brake lever.
 10. The vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 9, whereinthe regulation lever further comprises: a rotary roller that is disposedat one end of the second brake lever; and a brake block that preventsthe rotary roller from being rotated if the rotary roller is broughtinto press-contact with the cord reel.
 11. The vacuum cleaner as claimedin claim 10, wherein the regulation lever further comprises an elasticmember that is disposed between the second brake lever and the cleanerbody to press the second brake lever to pivot in a direction in whichthe rotary roller is brought into press-contact with the cord reel. 12.The vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 11, wherein the button isdisposed in a button mounting recess formed on the cleaner body and thebutton mounting recess is larger than the button.
 13. A cord reelapparatus for use in a vacuum cleaner, comprising: a rotatable cord reelthat is elastically biased in a direction for rotation of a power cordin a retraction direction; a regulation lever pivotable between a firstposition to restrict a rotational movement of the cord reel and a secondposition to release the restriction of the rotational movement of thecord reel; and a release lever configured to pivot the regulation leverto the second position, the release lever comprising a button having afirst push portion and a second push portion, the first push portionbeing configured to be pushed in a vertical direction with respect to acleaning surface when the vacuum cleaner is in a canister mode and thesecond push portion being configured to be pushed in the verticaldirection when the vacuum cleaner is in an upright mode.
 14. The cordreel apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the release levercomprises a first brake lever that extends from the button and whereinthe regulation lever comprises a second brake lever that is pivoted inassociation with the pivotal movement of the first brake lever.
 15. Thecord reel apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the regulation leverfurther comprises: a rotary roller that is disposed at one end of thesecond brake lever; and a brake block that prevents the rotary rollerfrom being rotated if the rotary roller is brought into press-contactwith the cord reel.
 16. The cord reel apparatus as claimed in claim 15,wherein the regulation lever further comprises an elastic member thatpresses the second brake lever to pivot in a direction in which therotary roller is brought into press-contact with the cord reel.
 17. Thecord reel apparatus as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a rollermember that is rotated in contact with the power cord if the power cordis retracted or released.